scorecardresearch
Friday, Mar 29, 2024
Advertisement

Covid-19: Stage set for mega inoculation drive as vaccine consignments reach several cities

Pune's Serum Institute of India and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech received the Drug Controller General of India’s approval on January 3 for “restricted” use of their Covid-19 vaccines in an “emergency” situation.

A deep freezer van carrying the Covid-19 vaccine vials arrives in Vadodara. A deep freezer van carrying the Covid-19 vaccine vials arrives in Vadodara.

With less than a week left before India starts its nationwide inoculation drive, batches of coronavirus vaccine were shipped to multiple parts across the country on Wednesday. From Assam to Goa and from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, the vaccines were carefully transported to different parts of the country.

As many as 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers will be the first in line to receive the shot. Pune’s Serum Institute of India and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech received the Drug Controller General of India’s approval on January 3 for “restricted” use of their Covid-19 vaccines in an “emergency” situation.

After Serum Institute’s maiden consignment of Covishield vaccines took off for Delhi from Pune on Tuesday, Bharat Biotech also dispatched the first batches of Covaxin, its two-dose Covid-19 vaccine, to 11 cities across India. The Hyderabad firm said it had successfully shipped the first batch of the vaccines to Ganavaram, Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai, and Lucknow.

As of Tuesday, 54.72 lakh doses of the two vaccines cleared for use by the national regulator had reached vaccine stores across the country, the government said. With limited doses of Covid-19 vaccines available initially, the Centre said states will not have the option to choose which vaccine to administer to its priority groups.

Advertisement

Here’s all that you need to know about today’s drive of coronavirus vaccine

Kerala gets first Covishield vaccine consignment

The first consignment of Covidshield vaccine from Pune-based Serum Institute of India arrived at the Cochin international airport on Wednesday morning. Special refrigerated vans were arranged to transport the vaccine safely to respective centres. Another flight is expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram international airport this afternoon. National Health Mission sources said of the 4.33 lakh doses of the vaccine, 1,100 would be sent to Mahe, which is an enclave of Puducherry and lies between Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

Festive offer

Kerala is battling a massive surge of new coronavirus cases. With 5,000 new cases, the state once again reported the highest number of infections in the country.

Vaccines arriving in Kerala (Source: PRO)

Second COVID vaccine consignment arrives in Odisha

Advertisement

Odisha received the second consignment of COVID vaccine on Wednesday as a special plane carrying 20,000 vials of indigenously developed ‘Covaxin’ arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. The state had received its first consignment of COVID vaccine on Tuesday when 40,822 vials of ‘Covishield’, had arrived on a special flight.

Covaxin will be administered to people in the state capital and Covishield in the districts, news agency PTI reported. Vaccines have already reached Cuttack, Puri and Nayagarh districts and special vehicles with police escorts have been lined up for transportation of the vials to all the 162 vaccination centres.

Covid vaccine, coronavirus vaccine kits, India vaccine stocks, Vaccine arrives in Mumbai, Delhi, Covid vaccine photos, First consignment of Covidshield vaccine, Indian express Health department staffers of the BMC brought the vaccines from neighbouring Pune under the security of two police vehicles

23,500 doses of Covishield vaccine reach Goa

Goa also received 23,500 doses of Covishield vaccine via a flight from Mumbai. Goa has geared up for the immunisation programme set to begin from January 16. Around 18,000 health workers in the state will be covered during the initial phase, another health official said. The state government has identified eight hospitals, including three private medical facilities, where these doses would be administered, an official earlier said.

Mumbai receives over 1.39 lakh Covishield vaccine doses

Advertisement

Mumbai received over 1.39 lakh doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, this morning. This first batch of doses will be delivered across the city at designated vaccination centers for the inoculation drive set to begin on January 16, the BMC said in a statement. The civic body said it received 1,39,500 doses of the Covishield vaccine from the SII around 5.30 am.

Covid vaccine, coronavirus vaccine kits, India vaccine stocks, Vaccine arrives in Mumbai, Delhi, Covid vaccine photos, First consignment of Covidshield vaccine, Indian express Officials with Covid-19 vaccine boxes, which arrived in Mumbai early Wednesday morning.

Health department staffers of the BMC brought the vaccines from neighbouring Pune under the security of two police vehicles, it said. “The vaccine doses are being stored at a facility in F-South ward office situated in Parel,” it stated. The civic body has also created a centralised cold storage facility for vaccines in Kanjurmarg.

Maharashtra has so far received 9.83 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of the total requirement of 17.5 lakh for inoculation in the first phase, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

Tripura receives first batch of Covishield vaccines

As many as 56,500 doses of Covishield were flown into Agartala this morning. The doses were transferred to a special storage unit at National Health Mission (NHM) office at Gorkhabasti in Agartala.

Advertisement
Agartala: The first consignment of the COVID-19 vaccine arrives at MBB Airport, in Agartala, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (PTI)

Speaking to indianexpress.com, State Immunization Officer Kallol Roy said the doses will be distributed to all districts today.

Manipur receives 54,000 doses of Covishield vaccine

Manipur received its first consignment of 54,000 doses of Covishield vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII) Pune.

The covishield consignment landed at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport Imphal. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Chief Secretary and top officials of Manipur health department received the vaccine consignment at the Airport.

“This day marks a new dawn as we received the first consignment of 54,000 doses Covishield vaccine from Pune. I join the nation in thanking Honourable PM Shri Narendramodiji and our brilliant scientists for delivering the Covid vaccine in record time. Vaccination starts on January 16”, Singh tweeted.

Advertisement
The covishield consignment landed at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport

Speaking to the media at the Airport, the Chief Minister said that as many as 8,476 beneficiaries will be vaccinated with Covishiled on January 16 in 10 centres across the state. Of the ten vaccination sites 9 are district hospitals one private hospital.

Thane division receives 1.03 lakh doses

Maharashtra’s Thane division received the first lot of 1.03 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine on Wednesday. The first lot of the vaccine arrived in the district in the early hours of the day and has been stored at the office of the deputy director of health, news agency PTI reported citing an official release.

A total of 1.03 lakh doses of the vaccine have been sent for Thane division, which includes Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Palghar districts.
Of these, 74,000 doses have been earmarked for Thane district, and will be further distributed to 29 vaccination centres, the release said.

First uploaded on: 13-01-2021 at 14:20 IST
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
shorts
Maguntas
Political PulseUpdated: March 29, 2024 05:19 IST

Away from the national capital’s courtroom where the case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is playing out, two key figures embroiled in the excise policy case – four-time MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava Magunta Reddy – are busy campaigning for BJP ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
close